Sealed packages are used to contain, protect and couple to optical fibers and electrically connect optoelectronic components. Optoelectronic packages are difficult and costly to manufacture because submicron alignment between optical elements, high-speed electrical connections, excellent heat dissipation and high reliability are required. Providing these features can be an order of magnitude more costly and/or more expensive than manufacturing electronic packages. Also, current designs of optoelectronic packages and associated manufacturing processes are ill adapted for automation because current high-performance butterfly packages are characterized by a large number of parts (e.g., submounts, brackets, ferrules), three-dimensional alignment requirements and poor mechanical accessiblity.
One of the difficulties of manufacturing an optoelectronic packages is the coupling of the optical fiber to the optical components, or other structural components, that are either disposed within the package or that will be disposed within the package. If the fiber is coupled to the component after the component is disposed within the package the space available for the mechanics of coupling is limited, which increases the difficulty of the coupling activity. Alternatively, the fiber can be coupled with the component prior to a component being disposed within the package. This can cause difficulty in placing the component within the package because the fiber must be threaded through the feed-through without causing excessive curvature to the fiber. The excess curvature can damage the fiber or disrupt the connection of the fiber to the component.